For months friends and family of Robert “PH” Diaz petitioned to get the corner of the block that Rob grew up on co-named for him, speaking before Community Board 6, which voted to recommend the street co-naming to the Transportation Authority. After the Transportation Authority voted to approve the co-naming, the final decision went up to the City Council and ultimately New York Mayor Bill De Blasio, who signs all street name changes into law, at City Hall.

On Thursday, February 25th, Mayor de Blasio made the announcement that Degraw Street between Fourth and Fifth avenues in Brooklyn will be renamed “Robert PH Diaz Way” in honor of the late great rapper PH, formerly known as Pumpkinhead. (See the video montage of the press conference at City Hall).

The petition to co-name Degraw Street between 4th and 5th Avenue was strongly supported by Councilman Brad Landers and Craig Hammerman. Councilwoman Laurie Cumbo spoke of all of the people being honored with street co-namings, saying that it is “part of the healing process”, that this will “immortalize” them and is “changing the face of New York History”.

PH was known for his music, his legacy as a champion on the freestyle battle rap scene of the 90’s and the acapela battle rap scene that emerged later in the 2000’s. Beyond music he was loved and respected for using his connections and relationships to further many artists’ Hip Hop careers, for promoting Hip Hop culture and the battle rap scene and for producing many events, including several for charitable causes, from feeding and clothing the homeless, to raising money for asthma awareness.

Shawntay Ocasio, PH’s surviving wife, thanked CB6, the Mayor, City Council, Councilman Landers and “everyone who helped honor my husband.” “I know Robert would be overwhelmed by all the support,” she added, noting the significance of the co-naming of “Hip Hop Way” in the Bronx, in honor of DJ Kool Herc and Hip Hop culture in general, on the same day, since PH “worked endlessly to keep Hip Hop alive in New York City.”

Family friend Claudia Imperiale said that “Rob aka Pumpkinhead will forever be recognized and remembered in the city that he loved, in the neighborhood that made him who he was – Park Slope…. we love you Rob and you deserve this.”

The unveiling of the “Robert ‘PH’ Diaz Way” street sign will take place at 11am, on Saturday April 23rd, 2016, on the corner of 5th Ave & Degraw (aka Robert ‘PH’ Diaz Way), followed by a special celebration brunch party at Littlefield from 12 – 5pm. Several notable DJ’s who were friends of Robert and part of his career will be spinning, including Neil Armstrong, Mista Sinista, DP One, Joe Bodega, Cabin, Kilz and Suce (Sucio Smash). Food is being donated by local eateries including Mulina Ristorante Italiano, El Polittos, The V Spot vegan restaurant and the newly opened Fresh Bite Mediterranean Grill.

The party is a benefit fundraiser for Robert’s three children, his sons Raiden and Royce and newborn daughter Robbie Diaz, whom their mother Shawntay affectionately refers to as “My three R’s”. You can RSVP to the event, share stories, pics and music on the Facebook event page. Ticket’s to the party available at Ticketfly.

The song featured in the video of the press conference is King Latifah off of PH’s album KNOW THE LEDGE (MCMI Records). It is available on bandcamp, itunes, Amazon and all digital outlets. CD’s are available at UGHH. All proceeds from sales benefit Robert’s family, so you can also support by supporting his music and legacy.

You heard right, Behind The Groove @ Le Poisson Rouge (LPR), will be the place to be in NYC, Weds Oct 28th, as we celebrate the BTG Monster Jam in The Big Room! The house is gonna be rockin with DJing, Breakin, MCing, Graff, and Beatboxing as we hit you with a Live, All Hip Hop Elements Special Halloween Dedication to PH (PUMPKINHEAD)!

This is a special fundraising effort for our fallen Hip Hop souljah – a portion of all proceeds from this BTG event along with all donations will go to the PH Fund in order to help with his two sons and wife who is expecting his Baby Girl in November.

For those of you who missed our PH Tribute Performance on Summer Stage at the Rock Steady Crew 38 Year Anniversary event, here it is. You can see it was an emotionally charged event.

This one will be a little different as we include the elements of visual art, breakin’ and even beatboxing. Special guests are being announced every few days on Facebook, so join the event page.

On top of all that, music will be provided by DJ’s DP ONE & KWIKSTEP (aka KS360) of Turntable Anihilists & Full Circle. You KNOW how they get down! There will also be prizes for best costume in this pre-Halloween “Monster Jam“. This is a great place to test out your costume before Saturday, dancing to the best breaks, dance classics, classic Hip Hop and of course, music by PH, the Underground King!

You can buy reduced advance tickets, as well as a “Patron Package” which includes admission, plus a PH Memorial Tee Shirt, PH Poster and the CD Album “Know The Ledge”! You can also donate at link provided below. THANK YOU!

On June 9, 2015 the world lost a valued member of the Hip Hop community, Robert Alan Diaz (September 17, 1975 – June 9, 2015), known by his stage name Pumpkinhead aka PH. We also lost a beloved friend, brother, husband, son and father.

PH was known as the Underground King in the Hip Hop music biz and on the battle rap scene. He was a Hip Hop music purist, dedicating his life to creating, celebrating and preserving the art form. He was known to be extremely humble, supportive of dozens of movements, wanting to help anyone who he felt was also doing music that was good for the culture. In honor of his legacy we look to unite fans, friends and others to pay their respects to PH.

The theme is white clothing (*optional, of course), since we are CELEBRATING his LIFE and MUSIC, not mourning, with a splash of Orange for PH’s style.

PH grew up in Park Slope, one block from this venue, so the location has a special significance for family and friends. PH was such a loved figure in the community and around the world that his family was flooded with thousands of requests to come to the funeral. Unable to accommodate everyone they decided to keep the services small and relatively private. Regrettably, many people felt left out and needed a place to pay respects to PH.

The Family has love for all and PH’s mom, wife, kids, and other relatives will be in attendance to accept condolences, hugs and fond memories of your times with Robert. All are welcome in love, respect & solidarity for our brother, MC, Event Promoter, friend & family man, the Underground King.

This memorial event is for the community to come together, connect with friends, speak about PH’s impact on music and on our lives, watch footage of PH’s videos and his Last Interview, and raise money for the memorial fund. Food was donated by Fat BuddhaBar (212 Avenue A, nyc), which was one of PH’s favorite hang outs.

ALL PROCEEDS WILL GO TO PH’S FAMILY. Thank you for your continued support.

Last year MCMI Records dropped the HYDRA song “Love Is …” right before Valentine’s Day. The song “Love Is …”, produced by Keith “WildChild” Middleton, is a celebration of the Love of Hip Hop and a challenge to any rappers who do this for the money, without a true Love for the art.

Now in 2014, on Valentine’s Day, we present yo you … “The LOVE IS Mixtape”, mixed by DJ GMS, with a special intro from LR Blitzkrieg and testimonials from Masta Ace, Torae, Sha Stimuli, PackFM, Substantial, Chordz Cordero, Rich Medina, DP One, WildChild and many more, talking about what Hip Hop means to them.

This 80 minute continuous blend of amazing music is a tribute to all the Hip Hop songs that celebrate Love of music, Love of the culture, Love of being in the studio, and Love of making something special for the people!

There are so many great artists on this CD, from The ROOTS, to SLUM VILLAGE, TORAE, MASTA ACE, BUSTA RHYMES, COMMON, MOS DEF, NAS, SCARFACE, ATCQ, ERYKAH BADU, SOUL PURPOSE, PHAROAHE MONCH, SNOOP, Dr. DRE, DE LA SOUL … the list goes on and on. And of course, HYDRA!

So the next time you are in the mood for some “Love & Hip Hop”, put down the TV remote and put on “The LOVE IS Mixtape” – absolutely, 100% FREE!!! If you want to support, show your Love by coming to an event, copping a Tee or Sweatshirt off MCMIapparel.com, or other music on MCMI Records.